Monday, March 13, 2006

The Drumbeat Continues: Connection Between Iran and Al-Qaeda

President Bush directly linked Iran to the deaths of American troops in Iraq, saying roadside bomb components have been tracked to Tehran. "Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti-coalition attacks by providing Shia militia with the capability to build improvised explosive devices in Iraq," Bush said in a speech. He cited recent congressional testimony from John Negroponte, the U.S. director of national intelligence. Bush said "some of the most powerful IEDs we are seeing in Iraq today include components that came from Iran.""Coalition forces have seized IEDs and components that were clearly produced in Iran. Such actions, along with Iran's support for terrorism and its pursuit of nuclear weapons, are increasingly isolating Iran," he said. The charge is particularly noteworthy because of U.S. concerns over Iran's nuclear weapons program. U.S. military intelligence sources say the more sophisticated IEDs – or improvised explosive devices – they are seeing in Iraq have been traced to Iran's Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week accused Iran of sending Revolutionary Guard agents into Iraq to foment violence against U.S. troops and Iraqi government forces.

So there is a connection between Iran and Al-Qaeda. First it was between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, now its between them and Iran. This may be so, but why am I not surprised that evidence would turn-up just after the United States has said that 'military action' could be taken against Iran if it continues with its nuclear program?